- Saudi religious leaders are calling for the destruction of churches,

- U.S. and Israeli tensions are heating up over Iran’s nuclear plans, and

- In 2015, U.S. stock funds have seen the largest outflows since 2009.

Congratulations to China are in order, as it appears that the IMF (International Monetary Fund) will add the Chinese Yuan into its global Forex benchmark basket of currencies. Strategists at Bank of America Merrill Lynch believe that the IMF will vote this October to include the Yuan as one of the units that make up the Fund's "Special Drawing Rights" (SDR), a ‘pseudo’ meta-currency used in IMF transactions.

This will inch the world ever closer to creating a system of trade and transactions that are not governed by the U.S. and the U.S. dollar. This is the reason for the BRICS's bank, and the Chinese Infrastructure Alliance bank. Once these competitive banking arrangements and accompanying transaction processing systems are in place, you will see nations fleeing from the U.S. dollar. The U.S. dollar's ‘dictatorship’ days are indeed numbered.

The U.S. is trying desperately to avoid losing its economic supremacy, as nation after nation is signing-on with the Chinese Infrastructure Alliance bank. Just think about a Russian - Chinese alliance. Russia is one nation where the U.S. holds no real ‘sway’ over its economy, military or its people. And likewise, Russia does not rely on the U.S. to buy its goods and services. Marrying Russia’s natural resources, food production, and military technology with the Chinese population and manufacturing abilities – is a ‘tag team’ that sends shivers down the U.S. government’s spine.

Recently the Dollar has surged, and has some people taking that as a sign of our economy being strong. In my opinion, that is completely wrong. The U.S. dollar isn't based upon anything other than its relationship to other currencies. So if the Euro goes down, then the dollar goes up. It’s like being the best looking horse in a glue factory – because the entire system is about to change.

With the Chinese going into the SDR basket, some of the ‘price-caps’ on gold will be released. That’s not to say gold will go crazy, but it won’t be held down as much as when China was in accumulation mode. This will give the dollar yet another currency war competitor. And as the dollar falls from grace, there will be inflation, shortages, and bank outages – nothing permanent but certainly disruptive. I think that these disruptions will be worse than the 2008 financial crisis. Has such a disruption occurred in the past? Yes. In 1933 the U.S. Government issued Executive Order 6102 – that made everyone turn in his or her gold. On April 5th 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the executive order: “forbidding the Hoarding of gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates within the continental United States". This order criminalized the possession of monetary gold by any individual, partnership, association or corporation.

To say this was a shock to the system is an understatement. With the swipe of a pen, people were forced to turn over any and all gold that they had in their possession. In return, people were given paper money. This was an economic ‘reset’ event. So huge ‘resets’ have occurred in the past, and it's my belief that we are about to witness another one. In coming weeks, I will discuss what to do about these events, and how you can protect yourself.

The Market:

The market moved lower this week for two (less-than-obvious) reasons:

- One, any time a market sets an all-time high level – that level becomes resistance (a ceiling) for the next time the market tries to move higher.

- Two, we are in a ‘buy-back blackout’ period. The buy-back rules forbid a company from buying back any of it’s own stock within 5 weeks of an earnings report. Given we’re coming into earnings season, and considering that stock buy-backs are the single largest boost to this market – a lack of companies gobbling up their own stock leaves a major vacuum of buyers in this market.

Two other specific events caught my eye this week:

- One, on Wednesday the market started falling dramatically as soon as the SEC passed the ruling subjecting high frequency trading (HFT) firms to more advanced Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) regulations.

- Two, U.S. oil inventories increased by 8 million barrels this week. Which means that at our current rates of production and usage have about 2 months of storage remaining. After 2 months, all of the options for storing oil will be exhausted. What happens when all of the available storage options are gone? Experts say that either (a) oil production will grind to a halt, or (b) oil companies will push the price so low, that it will cause massive buying. Only time will tell.

As we come to the end of the first quarter, this week was a terrible week for bulls. The DOW and S&P fell for 4 straight days, and then had an anemic gain on Friday. In this first quarter, approximately 52 out of 60 economic reports missed their estimates to the downside. The Atlanta FED even told us their estimate for 1st Quarter GDP will be around 0.3%, and that about half of that came from people being forced to buy Obama-care. This begs the question: Has the market ‘topped’, and should we prepare for a long, slow grind lower?

I think the autumn of 2015 could be an interesting time, and that it wouldn't be unusual for the market to start fading 6 months in advance of a rough patch. Historically, this coming week often ends positively. And considering that this is a holiday shortened week – that should add even more credence to an upside bias. Therefore, I have no problem thinking that we put in a bounce this week, but here’s the catch:

- The market set a previous high of 18,288 on March 3rd.

- We then moved down to 17,635.

- Buyers came in and bounced the market to 18,127 – before rolling lower again.

- If we don't see the market bounce over that close of 18,127, then a pattern of ‘lower highs’ will be in place, and that is NOT a bullish sign.

I'm leaning long this week, but pay attention to the high. If we close lower than 18,127 on the DOW, I may have to start considering that this market run is over, and that this market is destined to start working its way lower.

TIPS:

The DOW and the S&P have gone negative for the year, and this is only the fourth time in the past 20 years that this has happened. I think in the next several weeks we will get more and more chop as we enter earnings season. Next week we have the non-farm payrolls report, along with the markets being closed on Friday.

In terms of recommendations:

- WGO (Winnebago) had poor earnings this week, and is a strong candidate for selling a Put Credit Spread. Remember, in times of high volatility – you want to be ‘selling’ premium not buying it.

- HERO (Hercules Offshore Inc.) is potentially poised to go out of business. It is currently trading at $0.14 – so please be careful if you’re playing this to the long side.

- ORCL (Oracle) moving higher is interesting to me. I would buy a MAY / JUNE $45 Call Calendar for $0.40. I would allow the $45 May Call to expire worthless, leaving only the June $45 Call with a small cost basis. I would then sell the June $46 Call against our June $45 Call for potentially $1.00 – pocketing the $0.90 profit.

- SAM (Boston Beer Company) I like to the upside, and am looking at Sell the May +220 / -230 Put Credit Spread.

To follow me on Twitter.com and on StockTwits.com to get my daily thoughts and trades – my handle is: taylorpamm.

Please be safe out there!

Disclaimer:

Expressed thoughts proffered within the BARRONS REPORT, a Private and free weekly economic newsletter, are those of noted entrepreneur, professor and author, R.F. Culbertson, contributing sources and those he interviews. You can learn more and get your free subscription by visiting: <http://rfcfinancialnews.blogspot.com> .

Please write to Mr. Culbertson at: <rfc@culbertsons.com> to inform him of any reproductions, including when and where copy will be reproduced. You may use in complete form or, if quoting in brief, reference <rfcfinancialnews.blogspot.com>.

If you'd like to view RF's actual stock trades - and see more of his thoughts - please feel free to sign up as a Twitter follower - "taylorpamm" is the handle.

If you'd like to see RF in action - teaching people about investing - please feel free to view the TED talk that he gave on Fearless Investing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2Z9I_6ciH0

Views expressed are provided for information purposes only and should not be construed in any way as an offer, an endorsement, or inducement to invest and is not in any way a testimony of, or associated with Mr. Culbertson's other firms or associations. Mr. Culbertson and related parties are not registered and licensed brokers. This message may contain information that is confidential or privileged and is intended only for the individual or entity named above and does not constitute an offer for or advice about any alternative investment product. Such advice can only be made when accompanied by a prospectus or similar offering document. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Please make sure to review important disclosures at the end of each article.

Note: Joining BARRONS REPORT is not an offering for any investment. It represents only the opinions of RF Culbertson and Associates.

PAST RESULTS ARE NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS. THERE IS RISK OF LOSS AS WELL AS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR GAIN WHEN INVESTING IN MANAGED FUNDS. WHEN CONSIDERING ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS (INCLUDING HEDGE FUNDS) AN INVESTOR SHOULD CONSIDER VARIOUS RISKS INCLUDING THE FACT THAT SOME PRODUCTS AND OTHER SPECULATIVE INVESTMENT PRACTICES MAY INCREASE RISK OF INVESTMENT LOSS; MAY NOT BE SUBJECT TO THE SAME REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS AS MUTUAL FUNDS, OFTEN CHARGE HIGH FEES, AND IN MANY CASES THE UNDERLYING INVESTMENTS ARE NOT TRANSPARENT AND ARE KNOWN ONLY TO THE INVESTMENT MANAGER.

Alternative investment performance can be volatile. An investor could lose all or a substantial amount of his or her investment. Often, alternative investment fund and account managers have total trading authority over their funds or accounts; the use of a single advisor applying generally similar trading programs could mean lack of diversification and, consequently, higher risk. There is often no secondary market for an investor's interest in alternative investments, and none is expected to develop.

All material presented herein is believed to be reliable but we cannot attest to its accuracy. Opinions expressed in these reports may change without prior notice. Culbertson and/or the staff may or may not have investments in any funds cited above.

Remember the Blog: <http://rfcfinancialnews.blogspot.com/>Until next week – be safe.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Last week I spoke about entrepreneurs and it reminded me how they are almost the exact opposite of politicians. MJP said it best, Politicians: (a) start out with a vision for their constituents, but end up seeking power, money, and continuation of their job, (b) spend taxpayers' money with no restraint, and then just print more, (c) lose touch with their customers, and (d) stand as a ‘house divided' with questionable leadership. Entrepreneurs: (a) Seek out the realization of their dreams and money, (b) define their own job, (c) spend finite amounts of money – within a budget and a plan, (d) cherish their customers, and (e) are forced to work as a team with excellent leadership – otherwise they fail. Potential entrepreneurs (want-tra-preneurs) are discouraged by the actions of our politicians, and until politicians are allowed to suffer the consequences of failure (become bankrupt and out of work) nothing will change.

A tip of the cap to Ms. Yellen this week when she said, “Removing the word patient does not mean that we are now impatient". Trillions of investment dollars moved around that statement. Sometimes I have to step back and remember that a group of ‘for profit’ individuals, every 6 weeks, determines the proper way we run our $17 Trillion economy. No one voted for them. No one required them to previously run a growing business or even prove that they can handle the transactions surrounding a lemonade stand. Yet they determine the policy that affects all of us. In the statement that acknowledged a slowing economy and an employment situation that wasn't good enough, this cleverly phrased statement gives them ‘wiggle room’ to say ‘no’ to a rate hike in April. This phrase also gives Wall Street a gift from the heavens in the shape of zero interest rates and more printed money for a least another month and a half.

Forgetting politics for a minute, and thinking about the reality of the situation:

- The issue with oil prices isn’t so much the direction, as the speed. When oil moves too quickly in a sustained direction, the disruptions to the energy industry and the derivatives written against it by the banking industry often outweigh the gains by the consumer.

Is there anyone remaining (outside of CNBC announcers) that doesn't think this market is overpriced and in bubble territory? In the last month we've heard Alan Greenspan say that the markets are overdone. We've heard from a dozen prominent hedge fund managers, and the outgoing Dallas Fed chief (Mr. Fisher) all saying that the market is overpriced. Yet on Friday, the market went up another 168 points. Overpriced or not, keeping assets higher is job one for the FED and Wall Street and they're doing anything they can to keep all of their plates in the air. I can only imagine that they are going to try and get us up to the all time high of 2117 on the S&P. You have to lean long into this silliness, but I'll be the first to tell you it is nerve wracking.

On Wednesday, all Ms. Yellen did was kick the can down the road with her: “Removing the word patient” speech. It did allow an overbought, running on fumes and wicked manipulations stock market condition to continue. Small cap stocks are indeed leading the way higher – bringing the financials and others with it alongside. Until we break out to new all-time highs, the last high now serves as a resistance level. We could fail at that resistance level. So for me, we are too close to that upper boundary to just buy long here and ‘forget it’. It’s definitely a time to remain nimble.

TIPS:

If you were with me on the CF, CP and IBB trades last week, you should be pretty happy. In fact if you held CF all the way to the end, you ‘pinned’ at $290 – the peak of our butterfly – congratulations.

For April we found 4 trades that will PAY you to take them, and a couple others that are ‘free’ for the taking. All of the trades are complimentary, broken-wing butterflies. That is to say that you are buying a broken-wing butterfly on the PUT side and on the CALL side – 1 standard deviation out from the current price. If the stock moves the complete 1 standard deviation, you are then making money inside your butterfly. Otherwise, if the stock simply consolidates, you are getting paid just for the trade. Such as:

- GILD (Gilead Pharmaceuticals) is consolidating right now – looking and waiting for it to break to the upside so the April: +100 / -110 Call Debit Spread would be appropriate.

- KSU (Kansas City Southern) and CNI (Canadian National Railway) have a lot more upside on them – looking at buying an APR Call Debit Spread on KSU of +115 / -120, and buying an APR Call Debit Spread on CNI of +65 / -70.

- RH (Restoration Hardware) is currently priced at $93.75 and I think it’s going to 100. I am buying the +90 / -100 Call Debit Spread, and then probably selling the -90 / +85 Put Credit Spread on the downside prior to earnings.

I’m currently holding:

- CELG – SOLD APR Put Credit Spread: -105 / +100

- COST – BOUGHT APR – Call Debit Spread: +145 / -160

- FB – BOUGHT APR – Call Debit Spread: +80 / -90

- LL – SOLD APR – Put Credit Spread: -30 / +28,

- HEDJ – BOUGHT APR – Call Debit Spread: +63 / -66 – that I will cash in and renew for May – as it performs well with U.S. dollar strength, and

To follow me on Twitter.com and on StockTwits.com to get my daily thoughts and trades – my handle is: taylorpamm.

Please be safe out there!

Disclaimer:

Expressed thoughts proffered within the BARRONS REPORT, a Private and free weekly economic newsletter, are those of noted entrepreneur, professor and author, R.F. Culbertson, contributing sources and those he interviews. You can learn more and get your free subscription by visiting: <http://rfcfinancialnews.blogspot.com> .

Please write to Mr. Culbertson at: <rfc@culbertsons.com> to inform him of any reproductions, including when and where copy will be reproduced. You may use in complete form or, if quoting in brief, reference <rfcfinancialnews.blogspot.com>.

If you'd like to view RF's actual stock trades - and see more of his thoughts - please feel free to sign up as a Twitter follower - "taylorpamm" is the handle.

If you'd like to see RF in action - teaching people about investing - please feel free to view the TED talk that he gave on Fearless Investing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2Z9I_6ciH0

Views expressed are provided for information purposes only and should not be construed in any way as an offer, an endorsement, or inducement to invest and is not in any way a testimony of, or associated with Mr. Culbertson's other firms or associations. Mr. Culbertson and related parties are not registered and licensed brokers. This message may contain information that is confidential or privileged and is intended only for the individual or entity named above and does not constitute an offer for or advice about any alternative investment product. Such advice can only be made when accompanied by a prospectus or similar offering document. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Please make sure to review important disclosures at the end of each article.

Note: Joining BARRONS REPORT is not an offering for any investment. It represents only the opinions of RF Culbertson and Associates.

PAST RESULTS ARE NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS. THERE IS RISK OF LOSS AS WELL AS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR GAIN WHEN INVESTING IN MANAGED FUNDS. WHEN CONSIDERING ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS (INCLUDING HEDGE FUNDS) AN INVESTOR SHOULD CONSIDER VARIOUS RISKS INCLUDING THE FACT THAT SOME PRODUCTS AND OTHER SPECULATIVE INVESTMENT PRACTICES MAY INCREASE RISK OF INVESTMENT LOSS; MAY NOT BE SUBJECT TO THE SAME REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS AS MUTUAL FUNDS, OFTEN CHARGE HIGH FEES, AND IN MANY CASES THE UNDERLYING INVESTMENTS ARE NOT TRANSPARENT AND ARE KNOWN ONLY TO THE INVESTMENT MANAGER.

Alternative investment performance can be volatile. An investor could lose all or a substantial amount of his or her investment. Often, alternative investment fund and account managers have total trading authority over their funds or accounts; the use of a single advisor applying generally similar trading programs could mean lack of diversification and, consequently, higher risk. There is often no secondary market for an investor's interest in alternative investments, and none is expected to develop.

All material presented herein is believed to be reliable but we cannot attest to its accuracy. Opinions expressed in these reports may change without prior notice. Culbertson and/or the staff may or may not have investments in any funds cited above.

Remember the Blog: <http://rfcfinancialnews.blogspot.com/>Until next week – be safe.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

A recent episode of Shark Tank showed the CEO of a small, lingerie
company attempting to sell 5% of her company to the ‘Sharks’ for $500,000.That investment would give her lingerie company
a valuation (right out of the gate) – of an absurd $10M.Did she receive her recent MBA and Law
degrees from Stanford University – yes.Was
she originally given $850k for 17% of her company by a wealthy investor – yes.Did she come on to the show with a ‘chip on
her shoulder’ – yes.And yes – she found
out that arguing with the ‘Sharks’ is a difficult (and costly) negotiating
strategy.

‘Smarts’ certainly count for something, as does personality, caring,
understanding and doing your homework.In this case the CEO was so busy trying to get rich that she forgot to
embrace and display her passion for the underlying business.In this day and age, so often the goal of a
young company is obtaining VC cash, rather than building the business with real
customers. Just because you didn’t go to
the best school, or weren’t the smartest person on the block, doesn’t mean that
you can’t be successful and happy.

The ‘takeaway’ from the last 20 years is that the traditional path no
longer works.‘Professional’ is no
longer the highest rank in our society.A good college degree gets you a ‘ticket’ to the middle of the pack.If you want to win, you will need to learn so
much more than is ever taught in schools.You often learn these lessons from parents and mentors.These are the people that will take you under
‘their’ wing, out of the goodness of ‘their’ heart, for $0 and 0% of your
company.We see this very rarely
today.It’s a dog eat dog world, and
there are very few altruistic dogs out there.So – yes perseverance counts, just not as much as charisma, charm, and
the ability to get along.

In this case, the CEO’s numbers were insane.She believed since one person invested in her
business at an obscene valuation, everyone else would do the same. She had been a winner all her life – why would
‘Shark Tank’ be any different?What she
found out was that no one was interested in her, or her business.More often than not, winners put their hearts
and souls into a business, and when they hear ‘NO’ – they get angry and double
down.They become convinced that they
are right, the world is wrong, and they are going to prove everybody else inadequate.This is often a recipe for disaster.The real winners in life: (a) admit when they
are wrong, (b) learn from their mistakes, (c) change and pivot, and (d) then
deliver a solution that everybody wants.

It all starts with admitting failure.Wining at the game of education is often not a good precursor for admitting
failure.Lucky for us – the game of education
is NOT the game of life.

Market:

Factually this week:

-Retail sales fell 0.6%,

-Initial jobless claims still averaged over 300K a month,

-1st Q GDP estimates were cut by Goldman to
2.2%, and Barclays to 1.5%,

-Intel warned that 1st Q revenue will come in
under estimates,

-The Chinese are putting the finishing touches on their ‘non-U.S.
Dollar’ alternative to the Global SWIFT payment processing system,

-Thailand and South Korea cut their interest rates,
bringing the total to 23 nations that have reduced interested rates in
2015,

-McDonalds announced their 9th consecutive
month of falling sales,

-Japan’s GDP continued to come in lower than estimates,

-The Greeks are again making noise about exiting the Euro,
and

-The lunatics in Brussels are suggesting the EU create their
own army, instead of relying on NATO.

This week David Stockman (previous Director of the Office of Management
and Budget under Reagan and 20-year veteran of Wall Street) came out and said:
“Never has there been a more artificial (indeed phony) gain in the stock
market - than the 215% eruption orchestrated by the Fed since the post-crisis
bottom - six years ago. There is nothing
fundamental, sustainable, logical or warranted about today's S&P 500 index
at its current levels.The U.S. economy
remains mired in even more debt, less real productive investment, fewer
breadwinner jobs and vastly more destructive financialization and asset price
speculation than had been prevalent at the time of the Lehman event in
September 2008.”

February 2015 was the single biggest month on record for corporations
buying back their own stock, and March is shaping up to possibly surpass
February.Even more interesting is that company
‘Insiders’ (people who get paid in stock bonuses) are SELLING their own
corporation’s stock at the fastest pace on record.These are the same ‘Insiders’ that are making
the corporate buy-back decisions in order to make themselves ‘rich’. For
example: during the week of February 11th, the ratio of ‘Insider’
sellers to buyers was 17 to 1. That’s 17
TIMES more ‘Insiders’ selling stock than buying it.And those same corporations were buying back
billions of dollars of their own stock in order to keep the stock price high
for the ‘Insiders’ that were selling.Thus
far in March, some of the announced stock buybacks have included: GM for $5B, Boise
Cascade for $2B, Best Buy for $5B, Stryker for $2B, and Qualcomm for $15B.

However it’s not the buybacks or the data that are making the FED uneasy
– it’s the rapid dollar rally.The
dollar rally is bringing on talk of ‘disinflation’ and ‘deflation’. Unfortunately,
to fight either of these you need to reduce interest rates, print more money,
or both.European and Japanese QE,
coupled with the ‘official ending’ of our own QE is what is driving the dollar
higher.What is putting selling pressure
on the equity markets is the assumption that the Fed is about to raise rates,
which (ironically) further fuels the dollar rally. I suspect we will shortly
see a shift in focus of our FED from job creation and unemployment, to the
concerns about the dollar and deflation. Finger pointing toward Japan and Europe will then
follow, and we will be told that they are both the cause of our market’s demise.

This Wednesday the 18th will be the next meeting of the
FED.Market volatility will continue to
‘rule the roost’ until we learn whether the FED drops the words ‘being patient’
from their comments regarding interest rate increases.This
market is completely reliant upon debt, low interest rates and free money to
sustain the price of stocks.In terms of
the statement itself: if the word ‘patient’ is still in their statement then we
will see the markets rejoice.If however
the word ‘patient’ is removed from the statement, the market will fear a series
of rate hikes are coming and immediately sell off.The ‘cheerleaders’ will then come out in
force (backing up the FED) saying: “This is a good thing.Our economy is so strong that the FED is
getting out in front of this.”The
bottom line is that the market ‘chop’ is not finished and could get worse
before it gets better.For Monday we
could see an up day, and Tuesday be the calm before the storm.I wouldn’t get too brave in either direction
until we hear from the FED on Wednesday.

If history taught us anything (and I know: ‘This time is different’), when
the NASDAQ first crossed the 5,000 mark – one year later it was down 59%.On November 2007 when the DOW first exceeded
14K – one year later it was down 47%. How quickly we forget the carnage
that irrational exuberance can cause.Everyone looks at the DOW hovering around 18K and the NASDAQ around 5K and
thinks that ‘all is well’. I can guarantee you that all is NOT
well.

TIPS:

In the ‘Theory of Cycles’, March 6th through March 9th
2015 was a cycle, and mid-April 2015 is signaling another (much larger) cycle.Cycles can often pinpoint market tops and
bottoms. The best-case bullish scenario is that we top out in the March
6-9 cycle, bottom out in the mid-April cycle, and then resume the
uptrend. The worst-case bullish scenario is that we rally into the
mid-April cycle, and then begin a multi-month (or longer) selling
process. Either way, keep in mind that the game has changed, and
volatility is here to stay.

The theme for this week is to: “Play the Chart that’s in front of you”.I’m currently watching:

-AAPL: Apple put out an official sell signal last week
when it crossed below its 8 and 21-day moving averages. Watch it to the downside via Buying Puts or
Selling Call Credit Spreads.

-TSLA: Tesla has been in STFR (Sell the f----g rally) mode
since September when it hit its high of $300.
Each time that it rallies back to resistance, simply Buy Puts or Sell
Call Credit Spreads.

-IWM / RUT: In direct conflict with AAPL, this index is
signaling both a daily and a weekly buy signal.
Watch it to the upside to either Buy Calls or Sell Put Credit Spreads.

-USO: Crude Oil is presently sitting at $45 and moving
lower. There is not much support in
Crude Oil until $41.15. Therefore, on
any rally in Crude Oil, Buy PUTS on USO.

-UUP: The dollar index is exploding higher while the Euro
is getting trashed. This drives
commodity prices lower in the U.S., and stock prices higher in Europe (with the
DAX (the German Index) making new highs this week).

-PCLN & NFLX: In
terms of some high-fliers that are rolling over and dying – look at PCLN, NFLX
in order to Sell Call Credit Spreads.

-/GC = Gold: Watch the 1147.90 level in gold. If it breaks through that level, then either
Buy DUST or Sell Call Credit Spreads on NUGT.

I’m currently holding:

-AMGN – BOUGHT APR Call Calendar: - APR 160 / + JUL
160. In the ideal world the APR Calls
would close less than $160 leaving me pure profit on the July 160 calls.

-RUT – SOLD MAR – Iron Condor: +1130 / -1140 to -1260 /
+1270 … that will become interesting to the upside if the Russell 2000 remains
strong,

-HEDJ – BOUGHT MAR – Call Debit Spread: +63 / -66 – that I
will cash in and renew for May – as it performs well with U.S. dollar strength,
and

-SYK – SOLD APR – Put Credit Spread: -87.5 / +85.

To
follow me on Twitter.com and on StockTwits.com
to get my daily thoughts and trades – my handle is: taylorpamm.

Please
be safe out there!

Disclaimer:

Expressed
thoughts proffered within the BARRONS REPORT, a Private and free weekly
economic newsletter, are those of noted entrepreneur, professor and author,
R.F. Culbertson, contributing sources and those he interviews. You can learn more and get your free
subscription by visiting: <http://rfcfinancialnews.blogspot.com>
.

Please
write to Mr. Culbertson at: <rfc@culbertsons.com> to
inform him of any reproductions, including when and where copy will be
reproduced. You may use in complete form or, if quoting in brief, reference
<rfcfinancialnews.blogspot.com>.

If
you'd like to view RF's actual stock trades - and see more of his thoughts -
please feel free to sign up as a Twitter follower - "taylorpamm" is the handle.

If
you'd like to see RF in action - teaching people about investing - please feel
free to view the TED talk that he gave on Fearless Investing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2Z9I_6ciH0

Views
expressed are provided for information purposes only and should not be
construed in any way as an offer, an endorsement, or inducement to invest and
is not in any way a testimony of, or associated with Mr. Culbertson's other
firms or associations. Mr.
Culbertson and related parties are not registered and licensed brokers. This message may contain information
that is confidential or privileged and is intended only for the individual or
entity named above and does not constitute an offer for or advice about any
alternative investment product. Such advice can only be made when accompanied
by a prospectus or similar offering document. Past performance is not indicative of
future performance. Please make sure to review important disclosures at the end
of each article.

Note:
Joining BARRONS REPORT is not an offering for any investment. It represents
only the opinions of RF Culbertson and Associates.

PAST
RESULTS ARE NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS. THERE IS RISK OF LOSS AS WELL AS
THE OPPORTUNITY FOR GAIN WHEN INVESTING IN MANAGED FUNDS. WHEN CONSIDERING
ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS (INCLUDING HEDGE FUNDS) AN INVESTOR SHOULD CONSIDER
VARIOUS RISKS INCLUDING THE FACT THAT SOME PRODUCTS AND OTHER SPECULATIVE
INVESTMENT PRACTICES MAY INCREASE RISK OF INVESTMENT LOSS; MAY NOT BE SUBJECT
TO THE SAME REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS AS MUTUAL FUNDS, OFTEN CHARGE HIGH FEES,
AND IN MANY CASES THE UNDERLYING INVESTMENTS ARE NOT TRANSPARENT AND ARE KNOWN
ONLY TO THE INVESTMENT MANAGER.

Alternative
investment performance can be volatile. An investor could lose all or a
substantial amount of his or her investment. Often, alternative investment fund
and account managers have total trading authority over their funds or accounts;
the use of a single advisor applying generally similar trading programs could
mean lack of diversification and, consequently, higher risk. There is often no
secondary market for an investor's interest in alternative investments, and
none is expected to develop.

All
material presented herein is believed to be reliable but we cannot attest to
its accuracy. Opinions expressed in these reports may change without prior
notice. Culbertson and/or the staff may or may not have investments in any
funds cited above.

Remember the Blog: <http://rfcfinancialnews.blogspot.com/>
Until next week – be safe.

GetAbby.com IVR Solutions

A TRIPLE is only a TRIPLE when you make it to 3rd BASE!

In today’s world, if you can’t achieve having ALL 3 - then you’re just hitting three singles – and NEVER putting everything together – and therefore NEVER putting yourself in ‘scoring’ position! And frankly, if you’re not going to ‘score’ - why be in the game? All 3 of these elements (web avatars, IVR solutions, mobile applications) NEED to work together, and combine in order to significantly reduce customer service costs, while dramatically enhancing the customer experience, and increasing your customer knowledge, retention and let’s not forget – increasing your bottom line.

First base is your speech application. Applications need to recognize voice commands, understand accents, languages, and colloquial enunciations, everyone sees the industry moving in this direction - from buying airline tickets to feeding your Xbox commands - virtually everything needs voice technology. Second base is web interactivity – the ability to ask a web avatar a question – in your own words – in your own language (very similar to speech). The extra element the web provides is instant connectivity to thousands of “friends” receiving and sending status updates - allowing your product to reach a wider audience, cheaper – better - faster.
Third base takes includes your mobile device. Apple has sold over 2 million ipads in 2 months – even though it’s only been released in 9 countries. 5 Billion iPhone apps have been downloaded. AT&T stopped taking orders for the iPhone 4G after being open for 27 HOURS. So if mobile devices are NOT be a part of your strategy, think again. And just do the math – a mobile device application can be written for tens of thousands – and circulated to millions of people – giving you a total cost of ownership in the ‘pennies’ - what other device offers that consistency - scalability – and cost?

Our job at GetAbby is to put you in position to score. We bring it all HOME. We take all three of these sigles, combine them, and allow you to bring it HOME in one application. GetABBY provides the technology that allows you to book airline tickets over the phone, and have the confirmation ticket sent straight to your mobile device, and confirm thru an avatar on the web – where the avatar will present you with more money saving ideas on additional places to stay. We’re there for you, ready to take you past third base – taking it home, however; is up too you to GetABBY.